The Netherlands Interdisciplinary Demographic Institute invites applications for 3 PhD positions as part of the European Research Council (CoG) funded project MYMOVE: Migrant youth mobility in Europe: patterns, processes and consequences. 

Project description

Children of migrant origin are more likely to move within the country of settlement than native born youth, however little is known on the potential effects of this so-called internal mobility. When does childhood internal mobility have negative consequences on an individual’s life? Are there differences in processes and consequences for those of immigrant and non-immigrant background? The main objective of the MYMOVE project is to advance knowledge on the relationship between moving within a country during childhood and adult life chances as defined by demographic family life choices, health and well-being for those with and without immigrant background. The MYMOVE project will make use of unique and new longitudinal (full-) population register data from across Europe

The PhD positions are part of the Consolidator Grant awarded to prof. dr. Helga de Valk and funded by the European Research Council (ERC). The PhD students will join the MYMOVE research team at NIDI and are expected to be interested and willing to spend part of the research time in the Nordic countries involved in the study to collaborate with experts on register data in these countries. The research team currently consists of the PI (de Valk), two postdocs, one PhD students and support staff. At this stage we are recruiting three PhD candidates who will focus on the broad themes of internal mobility and later life outcomes among refugee children and the role of the family for children’s short and long term consequences of internal mobility. All projects take a comparative perspective by either studying different (origin) groups, different countries or different outcomes.

Function description

• Carry out cutting edge academic research within an international team of engaged researchers
• Publish international journal articles within the described ERC project resulting in a PhD thesis defended at Groningen University
• Innovative analyses of linked population register data in the Netherlands and at least one other European country covered in the ERC project (Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, UK)
• Participate in and present at (inter-)national scientific meetings to report research findings and contribute to dissemination activities of the ERC project
   

Candidates should have:

• A (research) master degree in sociology, demography, geography or related discipline
• A solid background in quantitative data analyses and strong skills in advanced statistical methods 
• Excellent knowledge of English 
• Excellent writing and social skills 
• Knowledge of family demography/ sociology and/or migration sociology/demography is an asset 
   

The candidate is expected to start by 1 September 2020. The initial appointment will be for a period of 1 year. After positive evaluation, the appointment will be extended for another 3 years. A psychological assessment can be part of the selection procedure. 

The gross monthly salary will be in line with the Dutch regulations for academic staff at the PhD level. Benefits include pension contribution, annual holiday premium of 8% and an end-of-year premium of 8.3%. 
 

Netherlands Interdisciplinary Demographic Institute (NIDI)

The Netherlands Interdisciplinary Demographic Institute (NIDI-KNAW) is an Academy research institute. NIDI conducts research on population issues and informs policymakers and society about the results of demographic research. By concentrating researchers from different disciplines in a single institute, NIDI has become one of the most important demographic research centres in Europe.